Old Film Cameras - With Film Inside!

[MisterCairo]

I'd forgotten about this link a former work colleague sent me a couple of years ago. This gentleman collects old cameras and, often finding film still inside, develops it and has posted a wonderful collection of pictures from several decades in the last century.

He always asks the question: Who owned the camera, and why, if they took the trouble to buy film and take the snaps, did they somehow dispose of/give away/lose the cameras???


http://westfordcomp.com/updated/found.htm

 

[Paul de Weerd]

Amazing pictures and what great people.. It's strange and perhaps sad that when you think of it, most of the people in the pictures are dead. I wonder what the reaction of any remaining relative would be if they saw these pictures of their family members.

I haven't found any cameras with film in it unfortunately.

Again, great website, thanks for sharing.

 

[Big Man]

About 30 or so years ago I discovered there was film in an old Kodak 620 camera of my Dad's. We took the film out and had it developed. The pictures were of the 1950 Christmas parade in Morganton, NC.

I used that old camera for several years to take a lot of pictures. I eventually "upgraded" to a 35mm camera, so I put the old 620 away. Well, here about a year or so ago I was cleaning out some things and what did I find but that old Kodak 620 - with film still in it again. Unfortunately, there was no where to get the film developed. I did a search and found a place to send the film. I'm still waiting to get it back. I have no idea what may be on those pictures.

 

[JamesOldBean]

I bought three old cameras at a military fair and one had film still inside. But just as i shouted at the seller "Don't open it!"..too late, he ripped it open :eusa_doh:

 

[MisterCairo]

I'll pop in a few of my favourite pics from this site:

Just me, or do these two have rather dour expressions? Wonder why...

From the shape of the photographer's shadow, you can see his arms are holding the camera at waist level, meaning a twin lense Eikaflex-type camera with top viewing screen.

I wonder if either (presumably) mother or child are still alive, and if so, where are they?

One of the comments the site's host makes is how much more time was spent composing photos back in the day. This pose looks professionally done, but is probably just a guy taking a picture of his gal:

 

[MisterCairo]

Has anyone found a vintage men's bathing suit similar to this classic:

Or this one:

 

[MisterCairo]

I'd love to see this photographer's photo of the photographer taking this shot:

 

[Edward]

He always asks the question: Who owned the camera, and why, if they took the trouble to buy film and take the snaps, did they somehow dispose of/give away/lose the cameras???

...or did he buy them from a fence?

 

[LizzieMaine]

He always asks the question: Who owned the camera, and why, if they took the trouble to buy film and take the snaps, did they somehow dispose of/give away/lose the cameras???

I think a big part of it is that people didn't take pictures the way they do today -- film wasn't cheap, processing wasn't cheap, and most people wanted to get the most out of every roll. So it wasn't uncommon for a camera to sit in a cupboard for months and months between shots -- and sometimes it'd simply be forgotten. My mother had a movie camera with a roll of film in it that sat for nearly twenty years before she got around to having it developed -- because nothing happened in all that interval that she felt was worth taking movies of.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Lizzie is right, cameras were mostly for special occasions. They weren't carried as part of people's standard kit, just brought out when something photo-worthy warranted it.

Even when I was growing up in my parents' commercial photo shop - where film, paper, and chemistry were just part of the standard cost of doing business - I was taught to economize. I learned to be very sure of my position, focus, and exposure rather than shoot a lot and hope for the best. I learned to pre-visualize and decide if a picture was worth taking, in most cases without even bringing a camera viewfinder to eye.

As a result, I shoot MUCH less film than most hobbyist photographers, and I have a VERY high good-shot-to-exposed-film ratio. But these are now antique skills: today's digital cameras (and the perfected point-and-shoot film cameras that preceded them in the 80s and 90s) make this sort of careful selectivity entirely unnecessary.

However, in the too-much-of-a-good-thing vein, my observation is that now that technically acceptable images are the norm, most folks insist upon showing you way too many pictures: It's still far more impressive to exhibit three or four outstanding pictures than two dozen average ones. Capturing the feeling of the decisive moment is where art and memory converge, not in bulk reportage...

 

[Feraud]

The last couple of comments brought back memories of my own experiences with my SLR camera. Having to purchase and develop film with a limited number of shots teaches you to appreciate and capture "The Moment" when and if it comes.

I still have at least a half dozen rolls of film that need to be developed. I have no idea what images are on there..[huh]

 

[MisterCairo]

Take those rolls in!

I still use film, and consequently take more time composing shots, knowing that I don't have near-limitless "storage". It amazes me when people "show me their pictures", i.e., hold up their digital camera while scrolling through one inch wide shots of crap.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

I love film, too, and have always had a fascination with "real" cameras. I shudder to think of a time in the future when there will be no more photos of people... A lost digital camera will probably be so obsolete that the images can't be recovered. And a scratched CD or damaged drive means no photos. Such a shame.

 

[MisterCairo]

I had a chat with a chaplain who told me about how careful he was to upload his shots to his computer, organize into files and backup to an external harddrive. He printed perhaps ten percent of his shots.

Then he bought software to clean his hard drive. He forgot to disconnect the external drive.

He has virtually no photos of his children's first five years.

Ouch.....

 

[olive bleu]

thanks for sharing MisterCairo. Amazing photos and i really love your commentary. I always feel so privileged to look at a strangers family photos. private , intimate family moments ..now out there for all the world to see.And shared in a way that none of these people could ever have imagined possible.

 

[MisterCairo]

thanks for sharing MisterCairo. Amazing photos and i really love your commentary. I always feel so privileged to look at a strangers family photos. private , intimate family moments ..now out there for all the world to see.And shared in a way that none of these people could ever have imagined possible.

Hardly a vintage moment (at least, not yet!) but my first job was during the summer of 1984. I worked at the CN Tower in Toronto, until recently the tallest structure in the world. Selling ice cream and hot dogs from the "caboose" just outside the entrance, resplendent in my black nylon pants, white shirt, red and white striped smock and matching visor, proudly representing Canadian National Railways and Canada itself, when a Japanese tourist, returning to his bus, walked quickly past, stopped, turned my way, and took my picture.

Somewhere in Japan, I am proudly displayed in someone's photo album.

Looking a complete prat.....

 

[MisterCairo]

I wonder how this dinner went:

And where this woman went after her day at the seaside:

 

[LaMedicine]

Somewhere in Japan, I am proudly displayed in someone's photo album.

Looking a complete prat.....

Do you want me to go looking? lol
Seriously, though. Wonderful pics, and to me, it's hard to imagine letting go of a camera without checking for films.
My late father was a camera buff, in fact, there are a few camera buffs in my family to the point that one of my cousins and an uncle does restorations and repairs of old cameras--by old, I mean those non-automatic ones. They are known to have out talked camera museum curators lol lol lol

 

[dhermann1]

I found a roll that had been sitting around the house for over 20 years once. Had it developed. It was very faded images of our cats.

 

[MisterCairo]

I've had a couple of "found" colour films developed over the years, some came out perfectly, the more recent ones, others had a washed out, faded look. The couple of old B&W films I've found and had developed were quite old (30 plus years) and came out perfectly.

I wonder if colour film, with its chemical make up and layers, is more susceptible to deterioration than B&W? I should look that up!